Breaking It Down

One of the most useful classes I ever took in high school, was a "Computer Programming" class, somewhere around 1982-ish. (For those of you who like nostalgia, see photo of 'antique' 1980's computer  at bottom of page!)

My computer teacher explained to us that the computer does not 'think'-we think for it, and program it with the broken-down, simpler steps so it can complete a particular function. She had us  use drawings of flow charts for this process. Although I don't use flow charts any more, (I use Mind Maps!)  I've adapted this idea over and over again for kid's yoga classes, approaching teaching in a similar way.

Kids need to have the concepts, postures and steps broken down into smaller bits of information for them so they can be successful in the activity, especially children with learning and movement challenges. Gradually adding steps as they gain proficiency and build confidence helps to challenge and motivate them to higher functioning skill level.

What Lisa , (my OT advisor) and I do, is, after we familiarize the kids with the movements or sequences, through story, songs or pictures, we verbally take them through the steps of each movement & posture. One of us demonstrates with our own body, and the other will verbally explain and sometimes physically prompt if needed.

Then we have the kids take turns leading, and telling the group what we do first, second, etc. for a posture. We describe each step, using simple words and relevant visual and verbal  imagery of how their body should feel and look while they are moving, sitting or standing. This helps them build a better awareness of their bodies, themselves and their world, inside and out. Once they understand the postures individually, we string theminto sequences either to tell a story, or to serve a specific purpose: (build balance, core strength, relaxation, etc.)

We teach them how to break down everything:  the 4 steps we use to self calm, the steps we use for games, coming in at the beginning of class, for leaving, for homework and other activities they participate in. This helps keep them calm, organized and less overwhelmed not only in class, but in life.

Today, I came across this  fantastic video by Barbara Lester, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and ASD Specialist, that takes this 'break down'  technique a step further and into Task Analysis for daily living activities. Barbara discusses creating 'Job Cards' for chores and tasks that are done at home. This can be helpful to children who are struggling with distractions & getting their chores done, but especially for kids with executive functioning deficits such as ADHD, Asperger's Syndrome or high functioning autism.

I know there are a variety of ways to adapt this idea for homework and other tasks, and to individual homes, classrooms and therapy rooms, so I invite you to give it a look, pass it on and book mark Barbara's page!

Watch Barbara's Video below:

ASD Specialist: How to Get Kids to do Their Chores

'Antique' Computer circa 1980

(And, as promised, here is that photo of the 'antique' computer....)


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Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com







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Boppin’ on DIY Bongo Drums

Our musical instrument projects have been a HUGE hit. Just the other day, my sons put on a music concert for me. The toddler played the rainstick, while my oldest treated me to the musical stylings of his pan fluteand palm pipes. It was one of those moments as a mother you hope you never forget.

At the library I found a fun book about children who form a band of drummers, using all sorts of unconventional materials to drum on. Drum City was a real treat!

When my son had finished reading, I gave him:

Two sturdy empty canisters of the same width but different height

Two medium-sized balloons (not inflated)

Fun duct tape

Scissors

A long rubberband

He cut the “necks” off of the two balloons and with a little bit of effort, we stretched them over the open end of our canisters. Then we used some fun duct tape to wrap around the cans and the excess balloon, sealing it in place.

I barely stretched a long rubberband around the two drums, before my son had begun tapping on them. He immediately noticed that because of their height differences, one had a lower sound; no doubt a hypothesis he formed from experiences with his other homemade instruments.

Bum. Bum. Bum. Bum. Now that’sthe sound of fun!

Keep it Simple, Keep it Real

I'm asked often what the 'secret' is to getting and keeping children engaged in yoga-based activities, in this world of electronics and instant gratification.

My answer comes as a surprise: there is no deep mystery and no secret.

The truth (and non-secret) that we have to keep in the front of our minds, is that children, no matter how precocious they act or appear, are not little adults. They are still children. There are things in our adult world that will never appeal to them, so if you are to work with children, whether its holistically or traditionally, you must put your adult teacher/therapist ego-self aside, and think like a child.

There are unlimited number of ways to get a child's attention and keep it. Get on the floor with them and see the world from their eyes to find what appeals to them. If you can't find anything, then you are not observing them closely enough. Look again.

Children need structure, but they also need spontaneity. They don't respond to lecture, worksheets, drills, tests, confinement, boring rote tasks. They do respond to mess-making, challenges, things they're not supposed to do, exploration, imagination, and fun.  If your therapy, yoga, phys-ed, general or special education class does not contain at least one of these elements, then you will not engage them. If you are not engaging them they will not be motivated to learn. When motivation drops, this is where we see disruptive & other undesirable behaviors emerge. We can stop it before it becomes an issue by observing what motivates a child and using it to teach them. In any giving classroom that could be 16 different things. Yes, its a challenge, but its our job and exactly what we signed up for.

As educators, its our job to inspire & motivate kids to want to learn. Part of this process is making it fun. Some of us, in the process of growing up, working our way through college, finding jobs, paying a mortgage and raising a family have forgotten how to have fun. Educators are scrutinized and stressed and are expected to cram so much work into a relatively short period of time, that we forget that it should be fun, at least part of the time. We need to find our way back to that in order to do our jobs better and have fun doing them.

So I can't give you any actual secrets because there are none, but I will give you 3 pieces of advice:

Keep it Simple:
Regardless of the electronic toys and gadgets we have now, children will respond to simplicity, as long as its fun. If its messy AND fun, you've really got their attention. An empty box, a stick, a rock, a piece of clay...a simple walk in the woods, all have potential for natural, relaxed learning. Teach children how to be safe when they play, and how to keep their friends safe. Help them invent simple games that explore concepts & include everyone. All it takes is 5-10 minutes (or more if you have the time) of simple, imaginative play daily (even for teens and older kids)  and you will see how much it benefits their attitudes, cooperation & all the other work they do!

Keep it Real:
Be yourself. I cannot overstate this. Kids can spot phoniness a mile away and will call you on it. You are in a position to either build trust or teach them how to mistrust every single adult in their life. I knew a children's yoga teacher who used to change her voice when she was teaching a kids class. I don't mean that she changed her tone or vocabulary, I mean her voice changed-to an otherworldly "Glenda the Good Witch" voice that she didn't use anywhere other than in the yoga studio. She also used words that children don't normally use and they would never hear in a general education classroom-chakras &  mindfulness are 2 examples. Its okay for us to say "feelings" and "paying attention" instead of these other words. It doesn't change what we are teaching, it just makes the message more 'user friendly' & more easily understood.  So please use real language, your real voice and just be your real self.

Keep it Fun: 
Invent games, poems or songs with the students to teach your lesson or get your message across. Rhymes can be a great mnemonic for learning as well as a way to release tension and encourage cooperation. In one classroom I worked in, we always sang instructions to the kids:  (Think "Frere Jacques": ) "We are march-ing, we are march-ing, to our class; to our class...  is much more fun than, "Okay guys, line up..." A friend of mine who teaches older kids, uses songs like "Cotton eyed Joe" & "I like to Move It", playing  on a iPod to transition her students (dancing and laughing) to their next activity or class.

Fun comes naturally in the unexpected, so keep students motivated by doing at least one unexpected thing a week-better yet, one a day. You will find that it keeps you motivated too.


*What are some non-secrets you have that help you keep your students engaged? Please share them below in the comments!



Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com


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Sand Dollar Shakers

Photo: Avian Cetacean at Flickr.com

I've always been fascinated with sand dollars. A variety of legends & associations have been made by beachcombers who run across the bleached skeletons of dead sand dollars on the beaches of the world.

They are sometimes said to be coins lost by mermaids or the people of Atlantis. Christian missionaries found the fivefold radial patterns on the outside and the dove-shaped pieces contained inside to be symbolic. 'Aristotle's lantern' and other associations have been made with the distinctive 'keyholes' of sand dollars.


One of the sensory activities I like to do in the summer with the kids is to make "Sand Dollar Shakers". This simple project and game helps develop visual and fine motor skills, concentration, auditory processing and mid line skills.

The materials are simple and inexpensive: small paper plates, rice, beans or sand, white glue and markers. You may also need some scissors depending on if you decide to draw the design on the plate or use a template and have the students cut it out. (See video below)

The best way for me to show you & explain how to make these is with this quick video I made last year:

After you make the Sand Dollar Shakers, and they dry completely, you can use them as props for movement games to help further develop auditory skills and body awareness. "Shake & Stop" is a fun & simple game (Much Like "Simon Says") where the leader will give instructions and the group follows.

For a complimentary copy of the "Shake and Stop" game, please e-mail:

Barbara@bodylogique.com

*Use this link to purchase our

 Ocean Surf-ari S.M.Art Story™

through Amazon.

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Related Articles:

Ocean Surf-ari Yoga 

Moving Decimal (A Money Exercise)

In the process of brainstorming a place value activity, this little exercise was born. It’s simple and fun and takes next to no prep.

Just find the following:

A small black button, pom-pom, or a magnet (what we used)

Funny money (download some here if you don’t have any)

A bunch of coins

A deck of cards with only the face cards (just two through nine)

(I made some zero cards, although they’re not necessary.)

How to play

The child draws two cards.

Put the ‘decimal’ in front of him/her. How much money is that? Have the child use the coins to count it out.

The child draws another card. It is placed behind the other two and the decimal is moved behind the first card. Now how much money is that? Let the child use coins and funny money bills to show you.

The activity continues until five cards are on the table. Then you’re done or you’re starting over. You choose!

In Case You Missed It: May 21-25

Photo Credit: notesfromxian.com

I hope everyone had a great week!

And just In Case You Missed It, here are this week's top relevant posts from various sources. I hope you will pass them on and share them with those interested.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and healthy Memorial Day weekend. Please be sure to display your flag, (see article link below for Flag Etiquette) and while you are enjoying the long weekend, take a few moments to Remember, Appreciate and Thank those who are serving and those who have left us while serving our country.

If you have a family member currently serving (or retired,) and you would like to post a message for them OR  if you would like to remember fallen friends or  family, please post in the comments section below.


With Gratitude to All who Serve,
Barbara

Memorial Day History

In Memory of Our Honored Dead

Soldier Homecomings

USA Flag.org:  Flag Etiquette

Play list Memorial Day: Help for Those Who Serve
*This list has several interviews that have been targeted to helping veterans who are still serving and also to help returning veterans. While we remember all those that have given their service, their years, and sometimes their lives, it is also important to do whatever we can to help those who are serving today, help their families, and help them when they return home. TOPICS: PTSS, Helping Homeless Veterans, Helping Those Returning Home.)




Other Article Links:


Are Our Children Overpraised?
(childmind.org)

Helping your child succeed when there is no IEP:
(Friendship Circle Blog)

Co-Regulation & Social Interaction:
(RDI Connect)

Teach The Books-Touch The Heart
(chrquietly.tumblr.com)

How Music Therapy Can Help Your Child
(families.com)

The Bad Teacher Debate: Losing Labels in Education
(teachhub.com)

The Plight of Introverted Children
(Education Week.com)


Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com

Shooting (Adjective) Hoops

We’re a college ball kinda family; there’s not too much NBA on at our house. Despite this, my son found out about the legendary Michael Jordan at school and has name dropped more than a few times how cool he is. When I read the review of Salt in His Shoes on Books 4 Learning, I knew I HAD to find a way to bring Michael Jordan and the book written by his mother and sister into our afterschool learning.

To reinforce parts of speech, I told my son to find adjectives in the story as I read Deloris and Roslyn Jordan’s book aloud. I gave him some orange slips of paper, each printed with a basketball. (Click the image below to download this PDF.)

When he heard a descriptive word, I stopped reading and he wrote the adjective on a basketball.

Finishing the story, I explained that each basketball was already worth one point. If he could wad up the paper and toss the adjective into the hoop (a bucket on the table), it would be worth another point. He had 12 points (the number of describing words he found) before he starting 'shooting hoops' with the adjectives. He finished the game with 15 points!

He had so much fun, he gathered the papers and bucket for another round. Could I have a little Michael Jordan on my hands, I wondered.

Maybe I should go sprinkle some salt in his shoes!

With Me? Next to Me?

Photo Courtesy:  johnflurry.com

Its a commonly held belief that ASD children should be discouraged from parallel play; and that they need to actively engage with peers.

I have often wondered exactly who's need this is and inwardly feel, in spite of experts telling me otherwise, that interaction ought to be natural & spontaneous rather than staged and prompted.

When I first started doing ABA therapy, (Applied Behavioral Analysis) I was not comforatble. In fact, hated what was expected of me. I felt that we were not really honoring and respecting the children as individuals, and instead were imposing repetitive drills and unrealistic expectations of what we thought were necessary skills onto children as if we were programming a computer. While I understood the importance of structure, and that certain skills need to be learned before harder skills, it always seemed to be more about compliance than engagement.
Now that I no longer do ABA, I often observe behaviors and body language in children that indicate to me that they are not ignoring me, but rather observing, sensing, listening to, taking in, absorbing and processing everything that I do, say and that is going on around them. I base what I teach them on those cues. I play next to them if they don't want to play with me. More so, because I want to observe & understand and as long as they don't ask me to leave, I stay.

One young boy I worked with years ago had a diagnosis of autism and was only mildly verbal. Most of the words he said were repeating something he heard, or making inaudible sounds. We were frequently prompting him to 'play with' other kids. One day I could not get him to work at all so rather than get stuck in a power struggle, I just sat next to him, observed him and mirrored him as he played with a toy car. After a few minutes he looked me right in the eye, and said clearly: "Miss Barb, I need a break."

ASD children see, hear and know what is going on. They are not tuned out, they are tuned in. They even feel it when your emotioins are a little off balance. They are aware that we are watching and trying to get them to do tasks. Sometimes we get so stuck in the compliance and lesson plans that we forget that we are not just teachers and therapists but also students - and we can learn from the kids too.

Are we too quick to stage & prompt interactive playing and not patient enough to observe & allow play to happen spontaneously and naturally (if its going to) among spectrum children & peers? Why isn't playing 'next to me' good enough? Are we unconsciously sending these children deeper into 'their' own worlds instead of accepting them into 'ours'?  Is it really about the kid's needs or more about our own?

Here is an eloquent post and excellent account of what is going on when we think our ASD children are ignoring us, or not interacting. This was written by Aspienaut, an adult with Asperger's. This is his own account and description of what he experiences, and I think we can use it to help us understand other children & individuals better too.

Please bookmark Aspienaut's site & pass this on to everyone you know who works with children (and adults) with autism.

Aspienaut: Wired Differently:  "Next To You"

Spontaneous Engagement Through Play

'Lonely Girl' image by Lucia Stewart
Courtesy of  fineartamerica.com

A few years ago I provided adaptive summer camp programming for a local inner city organization. There were about 25 students with various challenges, many from broken families and poverty, but one young lady stands out. I'll call her "Alicia" (not her real name.) for the purpose of this article. She's been on my mind for the last few days.

Alicia was about 10 years old, diagnosed with autism and 'behavioral' challenges. On first meeting her, one would lean towards saying she was "oppositional" at the very least. The camp director told me that she never smiled, shouted all the time 'was a handful' and would not 'follow rules'.

I saw her to be definitely spirited, absolutely beautiful, almost regal, tall and lean, brilliant, creative, observant, willful & very angry.

She made it very clear to me, in an authoritative voice, the way she held her head and her intimidating body language that she didn't want to do anything with us, much less yoga. She pointed her finger at me, looked over the top of her glasses & shouted angrily "just who do you think you are? I'm NOT doing  ANY yoga!...YOU can't MAKE me..." and would fold her arms and turn her body away from me. 

She was a little less rough with her peers, although she was an expert at ignoring and avoiding interacting with any of them unless they accidentally happened to touch her mat. Then she would point her finger and yell "Just WHO do you think you are touching MY mat?" I definitely got the impression that she would have been much happier being left alone.

My goal was to win her trust just enough for her to let down her guard and relax a bit. It was clear that anxiety & fear were her triggers. The anger was a defensive survival mechanism. Her aide took a hard line with her, (that is when she was not oblivious or texting her boyfriend instead of supporting Alicia-but that topic is for another post!) and I suspect the other adults in her life did as well. I saw that I needed to take a much different approach, one she was not expecting.

My approach was non-confrontational. I told her quietly & without any drama that I understood and she didn't have to do any yoga at all-but did she think she could sit quietly for a few minutes while I taught the other kids? She looked at me suspiciously for a moment & reluctantly agreed. I told her that if she changed her mind & wanted to join us at any time, she could. She folded her arms and turned away from me. The good thing was that she did listen to and communicated with me, even though she shouted it. All was not lost yet.

For four weeks, we went through the same routine-I would always offer her to join-which she would decline. As I would teach the class, I would occasionally catch her looking out of the corner of her eye, and sometimes even smiling slightly. I ignored her occasional outbursts and would simply remind her of our arrangement of her sitting quietly while I taught. She would settle her self down, keeping her eyes on me momentarily to see what I would do next. I had instructed her aide to not force her to join, but to keep her as calm and quiet as possible while I taught the others.

On the fifth week I played "Statues" with the group-an adapted version of  "Red Light Green Light".
Alicia sat on the sidelines as the children lined up at one end of the playground. I explained the rules, then I turned away from them and began to count:

"1-2-3 Statues FREEZE!"

I turned back around to face them and was surprised to see that Alicia's aide had vanished and Alicia had actually joined the group. She was now 'frozen' like a statue with the others, and had a huge smile on her face, waiting for me to look away again. I turned around and counted...

"1-2-3 Statues FREEZE!"

This time when I turned back around to face the group, Alicia was about 3 steps out in front of everyone, still smiling.

"1-2-3 Stat....!"   I heard laughter & felt a hand on my shoulder.

It was Alicia.

My excitement was genuine when I saw her laughing so hard she could not contain herself. The other kids were laughing with her. It was now Alicia's turn to be 'it' and I stood nearby in case she needed a prompt. She didn't. She took command. She was transformed-gracious and cooperative when the next child got to be 'it'. She was talking with the kids when she went back to play again. I saw a different girl than when I walked in that first week.

I think the difference for her was not only the thrill & the challenge of winning the game and the responsibility of facilitating that game after she won, but also the fact that she was not forced to interact & participate. She was given 2 clear options & was trusted to make her own choice. I watched her closely for several weeks before that day-always making mental notes of what she paid attention to. I wanted to make it fun so she would want to join us on her own. In this way, she would be self-empowered-rather than imposed upon. I created that opportunity for her, and she rose to the occasion and (literally) ran with it.

I only hope that others have gotten past her angry shouting exterior and have looked deep enough to see her positive qualities. I hope they have helped her nurture them and overcome the ones that hold her back. My wish for her is that she will continue to be taken closer to her very highest potential of physical and mental health, as well as emotional, social, academic and personal growth.

That afternoon, as I was leaving, she called me by name, sprinted over to me and hugged me.

I think that was one of the best hugs I ever got.




To receive a copy of the "Statues" game, please contact me at the e-mail below!


Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com


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Jellyfish Art & Write

My son’s fascination with jellies hasn’t waned since we did our first jellyfish activity (check out the awesome tunnel book we made here). When I picked up Bob Barner’s book Fish Wish at the library for our youngest boy, I marveled at the amazing art – especially the two pages full of floating jellyfish. Barner’s book was the inspiration for this art project.

Supplies

1 sheet of thin white gift wrap tissue paper (or perhaps used dryer sheets?)

1 piece of blue paper

Grey yarn

Glue stick

Scissors

Pencil

White glue

Jellyfish body patterns (download the ones we used here)

Book

Before we created our own mixed-media jellyfish art, we read a wonderful book by Twig C. George.

What I loved about Jellies: The Life of Jellyfish is that it was written with a child in mind. (It starts “If you were a jellyfish …”.) It was hard to imagine a “bump and sting” lifestyle, but that’s precisely what George’s book had us doing. Seventeen kinds of jellies were pictured and identified, giving my son and I plenty to discuss about their similarities and differences. This book is, of course, non-fiction, but it read like a wonderful fiction adventure in which we both pondered living as a jellyfish would!

Writing

When we were done reading, we put the book aside, and I gave my son some jellyfish writing paper to record five facts he’d learned. (Writing is my son’s achilles heel, so whenever I can sucker him into doing it, I will.)

Download this writing paper here.

Art

Now it was time to make our ‘underwater’ masterpiece. I gave my son the patterns and showed him how they’d be put together.

Download a PDF of the patterns (top) here.

It was up to him to decide which jellies to make and how many. Now he traced the patterns onto the thin tissue paper and cut them out. (Cut carefully, the paper tears easily!) Note: In order to make it to swimming lessons in time, I helped with the cutting.

Once cut, we used a gluestick and layered the tissue onto the blue paper to make the jellyfish.

Lastly, he cut and attached random lengths of grey yarn at the bottom of each jelly as stingers. Some dots of white school glue did the trick.

The final result was amazing!

Ruler of the Ruler (A Measuring Activity)

To have a little fun with measuring, I turned my son into the Ruler of the Ruler, complete with a crown too!

To start our activity, we read Brian P. Cleary’s book How Long or How Wide?: A Measuring Guide (it was my inspiration). If you’re a regular reader than just skip this part; you’ve already heard me gush about Cleary’s books.

This book provided my son some great background on millimeters, inches, centimeters, feet, and yards. After reading the book front to back, my son wanted to go back through and even asked if we could replicate a “12 inches = 1 foot and 3 feet = 1 yard” graphic as an activity. (Whoa, now my son is coming up with his own ideas for activities? My job as a parent just got easier!)

Before I handed him the ruler, I gave him a piece of cardstock to make his Ruler of the Ruler crown.

Download a PDF of the ruler crown here.
Print on heavyweight cardstock, cut along the middle line, and staple or tape together to fit.

When I finally pulled him away from the book, I gave him a ruler and recording sheet. (Click on the picture below to download a PDF.)

His job was to find six things shorter than 12 inches and six things longer than 12 inches. He measured each of them.

Then, he wrote the objects and their measurements on the worksheet to form six 'greater than' math sentences (for example, the table at 56 inches is greater than the book that is only 7 inches).

In Case You Missed It-Week of May 14- 18

Mindy Kalling photo
courtesy of glamour.com

In Case You Missed It is back with the most intriguing, awe-inspiring and informative posts from the web for this past week. There is something for everyone here below. Please share the sentiment & feel free to pass these links on.

Some of you may have noticed that I've posted fewer blogs in the last few weeks. That is because I have been working on some exciting (but time-consuming) new programs and web features.

For your convenience, we now have scaled down and re-organized our home website, making it easier for you to find what you are looking for. We've just added a Shopping Bag Feature on our Products and Distance Learning pages that we are very happy with. (Some minor repairs need to be completed on the product descriptions, but otherwise is fully operational!)

We have decided to discontinue the Story of the Month and have opted instead to included complimentary story & activity downloads for you to use and share. You can find these and a variety of other new changes here : www.bodylogique.com  Tell us what you think. Your feedback is always welcome!

If you have not done it yet, please subscribe to this blog by going to the Home Page & using the 'slide out' menu at the right margin of the window. Subscribe by clicking the bottom block. When you subscribe, you receive posts directly to your inbox, and occasionally  some special offers and surprises!

You can also connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Barbara


Lack of Outdoor Life Blamed for High Rate of Myopia Among East Asian Kids

(Childrenandnature.org)
 Another reason to #playoutside



What is the Healthiest Diet for Kids?
(superhealthykids.com)

Fruits...veggies...YUM!



Storytelling: The Ultimate Weapon
(fastcocreate.com)

While this article places a focus on business, I think that it also applies in a huge way to children & education as well.



Stronger
(dailymail.co.uk)

Seattle children's Hospital Video by pediatric cancer patients. Be sure to scroll to bottom to watch video-have a box of tissues handy & prepare to feel inspired & humbled.



Food Revolution: Stand Up for Real Food (Food Revolution Day-May 19)
(foodrevolutionday.com)

Jamie Oliver is leading the revolution! Will you join us?



Why Summer Programming Matters!
(Mind/Shift)

Summer activities are a great opportunity to extend your child's learning. Camp programs appeal to a variety of different learning styles and the skills acquired carry over into the academic school year.



Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com

Go Birdwatching! [Printable Game]

NOTE: This freebie is no longer available for download because iStockphoto limits the number of printable impressions.

If you’ve been following for awhile, you know that my son has a fascination with birds. (Is he the only kid to use spy gear binoculars to birdwatch?)

When he noticed recently in our bird book that many species of birds were dimorphic (the male and female birds look different), I got the idea to make a fun card game to help him recognize these feathered friends as they stopped at our feeder.

Thanks to the recommendation from a blog follower who turned me on to iStockPhoto, and Curt from client relations who assured me giving away this game wouldn’t be a violation of their copyright, I was able to bring this idea to life!

Before we played, we reread my favorite children’s bird book, which I broke down and bought after we were fined by the library for keeping it so long (oops!). To read my glowing review of Frank Mazzola’s book Counting is for the Birds, click here.

The cards I made were to be played like “Go Fish.” Five cards are dealt to each player. Play alternates between players with each looking at the cards in their hand and asking their opponents for the same species of birds as the cards they were holding. A match consists of four cards – two males and two females of the same species.

After reviewing their cards and seeing two cardinals in their hand, a player would ask an opponent, “Do you have any cardinals?” If the opponent does, they must surrender ALL of their cardinal cards. If they don’t, they say, “Go birdwatching!” At which time, the opponent will pull a card from those that remained after cards were dealt, which are spread out facedown between the players.

The individual with the most matches when one player runs out of cards wins. (As you can probably tell from the picture below of my son's matches, I was easily defeated during our first round of play.)

Engineering a Bridge

After I attended a Mom’s Night Out for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) event, I realized that our afterschool curriculum was void of any engineering-related activities. I know what you’re thinking. Engineering for a six-year old?!?

My answer to that is … YES!

We read a fantastic book by Philemon Sturges that highlighted great bridges from around the world. Through the pictures and the words, we were able to take a trip across the globe and explore feats in bridge engineering. By far, the most impressive in the book was a bridge that holds water for boats to travel on. “Say what?!?” Yep, it’s absolutely real. Both my son and I had to pick our jaws up off the table.

Now, I grabbed some straws and paperclips. And we began building. The paperclips easily slipped into the ends of the straws and could be connected together.

It didn’t take long before we’d built the bottom and sides to a bridge. We added more straws to make the top and connected it all together.

Let’s just say, the bridge was a flop. I don’t mean a failure. I mean ... well ... floppy. My son and I were bummed.

our floppy bridge

Then I asked him, “What’s wrong with it? Let’s think like engineers.” And so it was that we decided to stabilize our bridge by reinforcing the paperclip joints with thin strips of duct tape.

Before we taped heavyweight cardstock to the bottom of the bridge (so my son’s Hot Wheels cars could drive over it), we added a few more straws as crossbars for extra support.

The bridge was a HUGE success. It was as much an exercise in engineering as it was problem solving. And my son L-O-V-E-D driving his cars over it. This activity was fun during and fun after – what could be better?!?

NOTE: I think I'll try to find straws that don't bend for our next bridge.

Peer Mentoring: Does it Really Work?

I have always been on the fence about the concept of Peer Mentoring and have often wondered how effective it really is in the long term.

My observation, based on my own experience, is that inclusion, while it can open doors for many children, is not enough on its own. Sometimes our desire to see all kids learning and playing together peacefully overrides what is truly practical and in the best interest of the children.  I've seen that many times we emphasize & rely on inclusion too much & for the wrong reasons.

I strongly believe that there is a logical hierarchy & progression to learning. If a child's basic sensory needs are not being met, and the sensory system is imbalanced or out of control, social skills are irrelevant. You cannot effectively teach to an overloaded brain and an overloaded brain will not remember what skill is appropriate when it is in 'fight or flight' mode. Cognitive, academic and social concepts are too much to process to a child that is having sensory overload and can't sit still or listen to prompts and instructions. Sensory systems need to be regulated & calm, before cognitive learning to take place. Only after that can you begin to slowly introduce, and practice, social concepts.

I've used inclusion, partnering and Social Thinking strategies in yoga classes for added support for the kids who need it. This enables the socially challenged child to participate in an activity that he or she may not have been exposed to otherwise. Every class begins with a warm up of  sensory activities, whether I am working with an adaptive class, or a non-adaptive class. Integrated senses=better cognitive/social learning. Some do well, and others clearly need more support than I can ever give in the framework of a weekly yoga session. What I can offer is a way to get the senses integrated and the central nervous system to settle down. That's a start.

To be honest, in some cases, I've seen friendships begin to grow and in others, I've seen the very opposite. The truth is, that when attempting to teach social skills we need to be practical and fully aware that it could succeed and have the positive outcomes we want to see, or it could fail, resulting in frustration, and re-enforcing the very problem that we set out to resolve, which is isolation. Remember that inclusion, coaching, prompting and modeling will only take the student so far-he or she needs constant, customized support as the complex world of social interactions is explored.

I came across this recent article that mirrors my thoughts about modeling and gives a logical, well written answer to what I've always wondered: 

Reality and Misconceptions About Helping Kids Improve their Social Skills 

In this article, the author, Ryan Wexelblatt, MSS, founder and Director of Camp Sequoia, discusses where this practice of Peer Modeling and the misconceptions about it originate from. He also offers three practical components to consider when teaching children social skills.

Parents & educators, what are your thoughts & experiences on teaching social skills to children? What has worked and what has not?




Camp Sequoia is an innovative overnight camp in Pottstown, Pennsylvania for children who need help with social skills. Most Sequoia campers are diagnosed with one or more of the following: ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders and Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NLD). Find out more about them at the link above.
 
 
Contact: barbara@bodylogique.com

Symmetry is All Around Me

It’s amazing how much in our world is symmetrical. Once you start looking, you find symmetry (both occurring naturally and man-made) everywhere!

Walking around saying “see” and “look at this” didn’t really seem like the best way to explain symmetry so I turned to Loreen Leedy for help. Her book Seeing Symmetry is wildly fun.

The graphics are bold and the explanation ever so helpful. It has TONS of examples of symmetry (whales, beetles, airplanes, the human body, certain letters of the alphabet, etc.).

The book explained vertical and horizontal lines of symmetry and even demonstrated rotational symmetry (think bicycle wheel or helicopter blade).

After reading, I handed my son his camera (our half broken old one) and told him to find at least a dozen symmetrical things and take pictures of them. He didn’t even have to leave his seat at the kitchen table to find the first one – the sunglasses perched on my head!

Soon, he was off snapping pictures everywhere in the house (it was threatening rain outside so our symmetry hunt was confined to indoors).

He was ecstatic to find an example of rotational symmetry in his bedroom: his ceiling fan!

With his pictures taken, I quick loaded them onto my computer and printed nine wallet size. Then I cut them out and handed them to him with a red colored pencil and a ruler. It was time to draw each item’s line of symmetry!